Byss You Were Here
by JediMara77
Summary: Luke Skywalker and Corran Horn return from a mission to the planet Byss with a mysterious artifact. Little do they know that the adventure has already begun...  L/M, C/M, AU, total crack!fic.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Byss You Were Here  
><strong>Author:<strong> JediMara77  
><strong>Characters:<strong> Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, Corran Horn, Mirax Terrik Horn, Tionne Solusar, cameos from other Jedi at the Academy  
><strong>Timeframe:<strong> 13 ABY, set in the _I, Mara Jade_ timeline. (You do not have to read that fic to understand this one. All you need to know is that Luke and Mara were married in 12 ABY, and now teach at the Jedi Academy.)  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Humor, AU  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Luke Skywalker and Corran Horn return from a mission to the planet Byss with a mysterious artifact. Little do they know that the adventure has already begun...  
><strong>AN:** Thank you to **ginchy** for being my sounding board and coming up with the fantastically amazing title. This fic is my way of clearing my mind before starting the last part of my trilogy.

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><p><span>CHAPTER 1<span>

Luke Skywalker stepped inside the suite, blinking his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Keeping the lights off, not wanting to bother his sleeping wife, he crept toward the bedroom, familiarity and the Force guiding his way. He put down his bag and stripped down to his shorts, too exhausted do anything else, then quietly sank down onto the bed.

"Hey," a feminine voice murmured, the sound muffled as her face was in the pillow.

Luke grimaced and snuggled under the covers, then leaned over to kiss his wife on the cheek. "Sorry. I didn't want to wake you."

Mara snorted. "Yeah, like that was going to happen. How was the mission?"

"Fine."

Rolling over, she looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "Just fine?"

"Well, you know. Going through the Emperor's personal effects is always a fun time."

"Luke, don't joke about this. It's serious."

"I told you, our investigations went fine. We downloaded the personal files, brought back a few artifacts—nothing went wrong. Don't worry."

A slight crease appeared on her forehead, as it always did when she worried. She hadn't wanted Luke to go on the mission to Byss, and had protested violently against it. But Luke had argued that the Jedi needed to investigate all of the Emperor's former strongholds, especially after the harrowing events on Nirauan two years ago. _Especially_ when the files referenced soul transference. Luke still sometimes had nightmares about the Emperor's fully mature clone staring back at them through the cloning cylinder. Only his wife's bravery had kept Palpatine from rising again.

To no surprise Mara had insisted on accompanying him, but he asked her to stay at the Academy, partly because she was in charge of the most advanced physical training classes, but also because he hated bringing her along on missions involving the Sith. He figured he had the right to be protective from time to time. Instead he'd brought Corran Horn along, knowing the other Jedi's investigatory training would be a big benefit to the mission.

The tension went out of Mara's face, but she still looked skeptical. To distract her, Luke asked, "How was everything here?"

"Well, nothing blew up. There was a minor incident when Ganner made fun of Mirax for eating about five week's worth of food, but that was about it."

Now Luke was the one to raise his eyebrow. "Minor incident?"

"She punched him."

Luke shook his head and laughed. "That boy has a death wish, making fun of a pregnant woman."

"Eh, he's a teenager. Comes with the territory. If I recall correctly, when _you _were a teenager you nearly smashed your skyhopper into a canyon wall all in the name of fun."

"Hey, I never once came even close to crashing!"

She gave him a patronizing pat on the shoulder. "Sure you didn't, flyboy."

Luke caught her hand and leaned in, giving her a passionate kiss. "I missed you," he murmured when he pulled away.

She rolled her eyes, but nuzzled against his neck. "You were gone only a few days."

"That's still too long to be away from you."

"Oh dear Force—"

He cut off the rest of her protest with another kiss to the lips. "Now, Mara, is that any way to welcome your husband home after a long, harrowing mission? I might start thinking that you don't like me anymore."

A sly smile spread across her face. "Well. We can't have that now, can we?"

He leaned in and hovered over her mouth, pressing against her suggestively. "No. We cannot."

They spent the rest of the evening reacquainting themselves with each other.

. . . . .

The next morning Luke woke slowly, languidly stretching, knowing he had no classes to teach that morning. He smiled contentedly at the warm body next to him, and let himself doze for a few more minutes.

When he was fully awake he opened his eyes, focusing on the bright orange fabric sticking out of the covers…and blinked.

What the hell?

A quick investigation showed that the fabric seemed to be attached to his legs, which made little sense. He hadn't fallen asleep wearing sleep pants, and he certainly didn't recall having any that were so garish…and were those _X-wings_ on the pants?

He shook his head. Obviously he'd gotten up in the middle of the night to use the 'fresher and must've pulled them on on the way back to bed. Mara probably slipped them in his drawer as a joke.

But as he was examining his pants, something else struck him as odd. He could've sworn that he and Mara only had blue sheets, but these were purple. Purple sheets? Would Mara even _buy _purple sheets?

_Did Mara slip me something when I wasn't looking last night, or am I just losing it?_

Deciding that he needed some caf in his system, Luke rolled over, and that was when he really started to freak out. This wasn't his room. He was sure of it. None of the furnishings or decorations were the same. The bed was firmer and lower to the ground. And the door to the living area was on the left side of the room, not the right.

He recognized this room. It was Corran's and Mirax's bedroom. He'd helped them move into the new suite several months ago, after Mirax had announced her pregnancy.

He sprung up in the bed. _Oh, kriff._

Beside him, a warm body stirred and moaned. A warm body that had long, straight, _black _hair. "Corran?"

_Oh kriff oh kriff oh kriff oh kriff oh kriff._

He was in bed with his friend's wife! With his wife's friend!

Oh gods, Mara was going to kill him. _Corran_ was going to kill him. He was going to kill _himself _when it was all over.

What had he been thinking? Judging from what he could remember, he hadn't been thinking much. He couldn't remember coming into the Horn's apartment, much less their marital bed. The last thing he recalled was feeling Mara lying against his chest as they fell asleep.

Had he sleepwalked? Was this some sort of odd, Force-induced dream? Or had he just gone completely and utterly insane?

One thing was for sure—his life was over. His wife had once wanted to kill him. Well, now she had reason to, and he wouldn't blame her one bit. In fact, he would help her.

"Corran, can you start the tea?" The voice was muffled against the pillow and rough with sleep, but it was clearly Mirax Terrik Horn's voice. "And can you get me a puff pie? Your son is hungry _already_."

Luke blinked. Oh gods. What was he going to do?

…Wait. She had called him Corran.

He had woken up in his friend's bedroom…and his friend's wife had called him by her husband's name.

Oh, this made no sense at all.

He slowly turned in the bed, bringing his legs to the floor and trying to think straight. Did he have amnesia? Some sort of weird illness? He didn't feel sick.

But now that he thought about it, he did feel weird. His body didn't feel normal—not wrong, just not…like it usually did.

An odd, niggling thought began to take hold in the back of his mind. Luke shook his head. _Oh, that's just ridiculous._

But he still brought up an arm, looking for distinctive scars and birthmarks, but none of them were there. The hair on his arms was dark, not light.

He held up his right hand, searching for the wrist access panel. It wasn't there.

Luke's eyes widened as far as they could go, and he ran as fast as he could into the 'fresher. He slapped on the lights.

Corran Horn's face was staring back at him in the mirror.

"Oh, _kriff!"_


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Luke stayed in front of the mirror for several moments, contemplating the strange face staring back at him. Okay, not necessarily strange, he'd known Corran for many years now so at least it was a familiar face, but seeing himself with dark hair and olive skin and a goatee was just plain _weird_.

_What the kriff happened?_

Okay, he just needed to stay calm and figure out what had happened. Well, that was obvious; he must have switched bodies with Corran. But how?

"Corran?" he could hear Mirax call from the bedroom. "Are you okay?"

"Fine—" He coughed at the odd voice coming out of his mouth. He cleared his throat, "Fine…" Did Corran have a pet name for Mirax? He couldn't remember ever hearing one, so decided to play it safe. "Fine, Mirax. Just have a slight headache."

"Oh. Well, when you're done in there I want some tea and a puff pie, pronto. Remember, it's your fault I'm in this condition!"

"Of course!" Luke cringed and ran some cold water over his face. Before he could even figure out how to fix this problem, he was going to have to explain the situation to Mirax. But what was he supposed to say? "Hey Mirax, sorry to break this to you while you're pregnant and all, but I switched bodies with your husband." She would laugh in his face! Mara, on the other hand, would certainly sense that something was amiss.

That was it! He'd wake up Mara and Corran, and they'd explain the situation, together, like rational, calm adults.

Yes, that was the best plan of action.

_Mara and Corran…_

Luke felt his lips curl into a sneer as he imagined his wife in bed with another man…and he clearly remembered falling asleep in the buff…

If he'd had his lightsaber in hand—or Corran's lightsaber, rather—he would have sliced through the wall. But instead he jammed open the 'fresher door, practically snarling, and began to stomp toward the Horn's front door.

"Corran, where are you going?"

…Dammit. He couldn't very well leave a pregnant woman in the lurch now, could he? He stretched into the Force, and felt that Mara was still asleep. Okay, that was good. He had a few more minutes to explain this all to Mirax. And besides, whenever Mara woke up she'd take care of Corran herself.

He took a deep breath, trying not to think about what was going on in a suite down the hallway. "Just going to get your tea ready."

He could almost hear Mirax's smile. "Thank you, Hornybug!"

_Hornybug? _Oh, it was all Luke could do to not burst out laughing as he made his way into the kitchen. He was never going to let Corran hear the end of it.

"And don't forget my puff pie!"

He grimaced. No wonder Corran hadn't minded going away on a mission for a few days. But it was probably best to keep that thought to himself.

Luke entered the kitchen and looked around. Mirax had asked for tea. Okay, that sounded easy enough.

Only problem was, he couldn't find their electric kettle. "Um, Mirax? Where's the electric kettle?"

"How should I know? You were the last one to use it!"

…Crap.

"I swear, you are _always _losing stuff! Do I need to come in there and help you?"

"No! No, you just stay in bed."

"Okay. But don't forget my puff pie!"

Luke heaved a heavy sigh, and decided not to respond.

Okay, there weren't that many cabinets in the kitchen. He'd just look through every one.

But first, he'd bring Mirax her puff pie.

She beamed and accepted it gratefully, then tore off the wrapper and began munching on it with huge, very unladylike bites. "Mmmm, this is sooooooo good."

Luke smiled proudly as he turned to go back into the kitchen. He stopped when he heard a strangled noise behind him. He whipped around, only to see Mirax climbing over the bed, running full tilt toward the 'fresher, puff pie forgotten on the bed.

"Um, Mirax?" he asked tentatively. "You all right?"

Her very loud retching noises answered his question.

He knocked on the door. "You okay?"

She coughed loudly. "Yeah, fine, whatever. Just get my tea ready."

Right. The tea. Feeling badly for leaving her, but deciding that this was probably a regular occurrence at this point in her pregnancy, he went back to the kitchen.

Five minutes later, the tea was finally boiling and Mirax was finally out of the 'fresher, sitting calmly on the couch, eating the rest of her puff pie. How she could eat after what just went on in the bathroom, he had no idea, and was very grateful that human males didn't get pregnant.

When the tea was finished, he poured a generous cup and walked back into the living area. Mirax smiled slyly at him as she accepted it. "So. You have any time before class?"

Was she…was she proposing what he _thought_ she was proposing?

She winked, and crossed her legs rather seductively for a pregnant lady.

Luke swallowed hard. Yup, she definitely was. Time to come clean.

"Listen, Mirax," he started. "I have to tell you something. It'll sound very weird at first, but trust me, I can explain everything."

She nodded seriously. "Okay." Good, she didn't seem alarmed. She was probably used to hearing weird things from Corran about the Jedi.

"Okay, well. Something happened last night, and, well…I'm not Corran. I'm Luke."

She stared at him blankly for a moment, then leaned forward and winked. "So, you want to play Master again, huh?"

Luke blinked. What? _What?_

She began to lean forward to kiss him, and Luke couldn't back away quick enough. "No! No, Mirax…I'm serious. I'm not Corran. I'm _Luke._"

"Oh yeah, I'll bet you are…"

"Listen to me!" He leaned forward to grasp her shoulders, and looked as serious as he could. Considering he was wearing Corran's face, he didn't know how serious that was. "When I went to bed last night, I was in bed with my wife. When I woke up this morning, I was in bed with you. I think your husband and I somehow switched bodies last night."

Seeing how serious he was being, Mirax pulled away, staring at him in bewilderment. She took another sip of tea. "Okay, very funny."

"I'm not joking, Mirax. I'm Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master, raised on Tatooine, son of Darth Vader, yada yada yada. Look, I can prove it!" Narrowing his eyes, he concentrated on the puff pie, trying to raise it out of Mirax's hands.

It didn't budge.

_What the kriff?_

He tried again.

Nothing.

"Why you son of a Sith!" Mirax yelled. Her face was practically red, and she smacked Luke across the head with her free hand. "How dare you make fun of your pregnant wife like that!"

"No, Mirax," Luke held up an arm, trying to protect himself from the blows that were raining down on him, "I'm telling the truth! I promise! I would never joke about something like this!"

"Oh, sure, whatever Corran. I know that you went to Byss with Luke because you were sick of waiting on me hand and foot! Well you know what, that's too damn bad for you because I'm pregnant with _your_ child and you're going to damn well tend to every one of my wishes!"

"Of course, Mirax, just listen—"

"I'm not stupid, okay, I'm pregnant! So I get a little confused every now and then! You try barfing every hour of the day, and then every other time all you want to do is eat every puff pie in the galaxy!" She took another large bite for emphasis.

Luke took a deep, calming breath, hoping to project that out to Mirax. "Look, I know it's hard to understand. Why don't I get Mara and she can explain it to you, okay?"

"Oh yeah, I'm sure you'd just love to go wake up Mara right now! I see the way you look at her, with her nice, flat stomach! Well I'll have you know, Corran Horn, I am _not_ fat," she took several more bites of the puff pie, "I am _pregnant_," she finished the pastry in one huge chunk, "and it's _your _fault!"

"Mirax—"

"And just because you can use the Force doesn't make you all better than me! It's bad enough I had to deal with stupid teenagers making fun of me while you were gone, but now my own husband is teasing me! Oh, Booster was right, I shouldn't have gotten involved in all this Jedi mumbo-jumbo!"

She jumped up, eyes intent on the door, and Luke stepped in front of her quickly, grabbing her shoulders. "Mirax, calm down, please. It's not good for the baby."

Her mouth gaped open, incredulous. "How dare you guilt trip me when _you're_ the one to make me upset! You better be glad the _Errant Venture _isn't anywhere near this system or you'd be vaped before you could say CorSec!"

"Mirax, please, let me get Mara and explain this to you—"

"Don't touch me!"

_"AHHHHHHHHH!"_

A loud, bloodcurdling scream finally got Mirax to shut up.

Her eyes darted around the room. "What was that?"

Luke flinched, bringing his hand to his forehead. "Mara's awake."

"What?"

He waved his hand, not bothering to explain anymore. "Just wait."

Sure enough, about fifteen seconds later, the door to the apartment flew open. Mara burst in wearing nothing but a sheet and a scowl, dragging _himself_by the ear.

It was quite odd, watching himself…but it wasn't; it was Corran, wrapped in one of Luke's Jedi cloaks. He glanced from Luke to Mirax, wearing a sheepish expression.

Mara marched right up to Mirax and practically threw Corran toward her. "I believe," she growled low in her throat, "this belongs to you."

Corran held up a hand in greeting. "Hey, Maxipoo."

Mirax's eyes widened. She glanced from Corran, to Luke, to Corran again, and then to Mara, who nodded once in confirmation.

Mirax sank back onto the couch, staring at the empty wrapper in her hand. "I…I think I need another puff pie."


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

The next several minutes in the Horn household were awkward, to say the least. After fetching another puff pie, Corran and Mirax shuffled into the bedroom where they proceeded to have a rather heated "discussion." Luke did his best to ignore the conversation, but it was hard to ignore Mirax's shrieks and Corran's excuses that filtered through the thin Academy walls.

"Admit it; you enjoyed waking up in bed with Mara!"

"I didn't, Maxipoo! I swear!"

"Oh, sure, because waking up with a hot, _thin_ redhead is _such _a hardship!"

"Come on, Mirax. She's like my sister. You know that!"

"Still. Don't try to convince me you didn't like it at least a little bit."

"I didn't. It was rather painful, actually."

"That's not helping your case!"

"Come ooonnnn, Maxipoo. It wasn't my fauuullttt! You know I only have eyes for you."

"Even though I'm fat?"

"You mean beautiful and glowing."

Sitting next to Luke, Mara rolled her eyes. "Gods, he's laying it on thick."

Luke shrugged. "Can you blame him? And, just out of curiosity…do I really sound that whiny?"

"Yes. You do."

Luke cringed. "Well, now I know why Uncle Owen never let me go and get those power converters."

Mara chuckled. "You know, I'm kind of surprised you didn't come barging into the bedroom with lightsaber blazing."

"I was going to, but I was sidetracked by an irate pregnant lady."

"Ahh." Mara paused for a moment, letting her eyes roam over Luke's—well, Corran's—face. "This is so weird. If I close my eyes, I would be certain that Luke Skywalker was sitting next to me. But then I look at you…and I see someone else."

"But it _is _me, Mara. Remember, luminous beings are we, not this crude matter."

"I know, I know, you don't have to go all Jedi Master on me. Still, I expect my husband to look a certain way. It's rather distracting when you look like someone else. Especially someone who's like a brother to me. You can't say that this doesn't bother you at all."

Luke wanted to say that the physical body didn't matter, but he couldn't. "I have to admit that it does, as much as I know that it shouldn't."

"You're just annoyed that you can't do telekinesis anymore."

"That's not it at all! I just, um, have gotten used to my body is all."

"Sure, whatever. Hey, look on the bright side, at least you look more like your twin now."

Luke smiled. "Yeah, I guess that is true. And hey, we have the same eye color now!" He pointed to Corran's green eyes, then to Mara's.

Mara stared at him blankly, then shuddered. "Yeah, this is really weird."

"I know." Luke leaned over and placed his hand on her knee. "I'm sorry."

At first, Mara relaxed into his touch. Then she glanced up, flinched, and removed his hand. "Yeah, um. Let's keep the touching to a minimum for now, okay?"

Luke pouted. "Fine."

"Watch it, now, Corran can sound as whiny as you do."

Luke stuck his tongue out at her. They sat quietly for a few moments, waiting for Corran and Mirax to finish their "discussion."

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Luke turned to find Mara giving him a curious look. "Nothing's wrong, why?"

"You're moving around like you've got gundarks in your flightsuit."

"No, everything's fine."

Mara narrowed her eyes at him. "Skywalker. The bond still works, you know."

Luke huffed. "Okay, fine. I have to…you know…" He pointed to the 'fresher.

Mara raised her eyebrows. "Okay, so go."

"I feel weird."

"You're wearing her husband's body; I'm sure Mirax won't mind you if you use her 'fresher."

"Yeah, I know, but…" He trailed off, feeling awkward.

Mara, sensing his discomfort, suppressed a laugh. "Wait a minute. Don't tell me you're avoiding going to the bathroom because you don't want to see Corran's…lightsaber?"

"…Maybe…"

Mara rolled her eyes. "You're gonna have to go eventually, Farmboy." She paused. "Ugh, I can't call you that with that face."

"Well, I'll make that jump when I get to it."

"You're being ridiculous."

Luke threw her a look. "Do _you_want to hold it for me?"

Mara cringed. "Ugh, gross."

Thankfully, Corran and Mirax emerged from the bedroom then, putting an end to the awkward conversation. Corran was now fully dressed, and it was really odd for Luke to see his body wearing Corran's green Jedi robes.

Corran crossed to Luke, holding out something in his hand. "Here you go, thanks Luke."

Luke looked at it, saw it was his Jedi cloak. The Jedi cloak that had been covering Corran's naked body. Okay, in actuality it was _his_ naked body, but still. This was all so weird. "Um…why don't you keep that one for now."

Corran shrugged, then took a seat on the couch, pulling Mirax down next to him. She grimaced at Luke in apology. "Sorry for hitting you."

Luke raised a hand. "Don't worry about it. I don't blame you for not believing me."

"Well, it is pretty weird. How did this happen?"

Luke glanced at Corran. "That's a good question."

Corran shrugged again. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Wait a minute." Mara looked between the two men. "You honestly have no idea how this could've happened?"

They shared another glance, then shook their heads.

"I don't believe this. A Jedi Master and a former CorSec detective can't figure out what might have caused this?"

"Was it the mission to Byss?" Mirax suggested in between bites of her puff pie.

Mara pointed at her. "Thank you! At least somebody in this room has some common sense."

Mirax beamed.

"What are you talking about, Mara?" Luke asked. "The switch happened last night, after we got home."

"Seriously? The two of you went to Byss to investigate the Emperor's citadel. The citadel which contained information about _soul transference_! And you don't think that might have something to do with the two of you suddenly inhabiting each other's bodies?"

"Oh." Corran paused, looking sheepish. "Well, when you put it that way…"

Mara threw up her arms in disgust. "Luke," she turned to Corran, "didn't you say that you brought back some artifacts?"

Next to her, Luke tapped her shoulder. "Over here, dear." He pointed at himself. "I'm Luke."

She blinked. "Oh, right. Anyway," she continued, shaking herself, "you brought back artifacts, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

She sighed. "I think we should go talk to Tionne."

Luke nodded. "I think you're right, love. But first," he gestured toward Corran's X-wing pants, then Mara's sheet, "I think we need to change."

Corran grinned. "You're welcome to borrow some of my green robes, if you'd like!"

Luke let out a heavy sigh, then took his wife by the arm. "Thanks, but I'll stick to my blacks."

Mara shook her head as they entered the hallway, and muttered, "He's in someone else's body and he can't even wear something other than black."


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

The four of them sat quietly in Tionne's office, waiting for the other Jedi to arrive. It was early morning, and the rest of the Academy was still in the process of preparing for a long day of learning and training. As chief historian and administrator of the praxeum, Luke knew that Tionne was the best person to discover what had caused them to switch bodies. Most importantly, she of all people could determine how to fix the problem. If _she_ couldn't find a solution…

He shuddered, not wanting to consider that just yet.

Luke glanced over at Corran, who was holding Mirax's hand, offering support to his pregnant wife. Luke was glad that he and Corran were about the same size, because he would never feel comfortable wearing such brightly-colored robes as the ones Corran preferred. Apparently Mara had other ideas. She poked Luke to get his attention, then gestured toward the other couple. _See? Look how nice you look in color!_

Luke smiled tightly. During his relationship with Mara he'd done many things he would have never even considered, just in hopes of making her happy. He drew the line at green robes. There was nothing wrong with black. It was noble and dignified, and suitable for the only Jedi Master in the galaxy.

_Palpatine and Vader wore black, _he heard Mara's voice in his mind.

Luke sighed. Even while in another body, he still had to deal with Mara nagging him all the time.

_I heard that._ An invisible hand smacked him on the shoulder.

Thankfully Luke was saved by Tionne's arrival. The silver-haired Jedi swept gracefully into the office and took a seat behind her desk. She gazed upon Luke and Corran, who sat next to each other facing her, with their wives on either side of them.

For a long moment Tionne remained quiet, and Luke could feel her stretching out into the Force for confirmation that his and Corran's essences had indeed switched bodies. She bit her lip and looked down, raising a hand to cover a cough.

"It's okay, Tionne," Mara chimed in. "You can laugh."

Tionne shook her head, taking a long sip of water. She was much too elegant to laugh at the man who was essentially her boss, and Luke made a mental note to reward her for her professionalism.

"Thank you so much for helping us, Tionne," Luke began. "I sincerely hope that you are able to determine the cause of this…problem…Corran and I seem to have gotten ourselves into—"

He stopped abruptly as Tionne collapsed to the desk, laying her head in her arms, shoulders heaving. Luke frowned, wondering what was wrong…and then he realized that she was laughing, rather hysterically at that.

So much for rewarding her.

She composed herself rather quickly, taking another sip of water and coughing into the arm of her robes. "I'm sorry," she gulped in some air, "I'm sorry, Master Skywalker." She stared at Luke, seemingly forcing herself to look at the correct person while speaking. "This is just…such an _odd_ situation…and to hear you speaking in Corran's voice, attempting to sound responsible…"

"Hey!" Corran protested. "I can be responsible."

Everyone glanced to him, then turned back to Tionne.

"Tionne," Mara leaned forward, "do you think you can help them—help _us_?" She pointed at her, then at Mirax, who wore a pitiful expression.

Tionne bit her lip. "I hope so. But first, I'm going to need to ascertain some additional information. Now, Master Skywalker," she said this while looking at Corran, "you said that your bond with Mara has remained intact, although your Force powers appear to have diminished?"

Corran pointed at Luke. "Master Skywalker, over there."

"Oh, right. Um, Master Skywalker," she turned to the correct Jedi, "is that correct?"

Luke nodded. "Yes, I can still feel Mara and hear her thoughts, but I seem to have inherited Corran's lack of aptitude for telekinesis."

"Hmm," Tionne murmured, bringing up a file on her computer terminal. "This is quite fascinating."

"What do you think it means?" Corran asked.

"Well, it appears that while your essences have switched bodies, your skills in the Force have not. That indicates that Force skills are tied to the physical body, rather than your life essence. I suppose that this is due to your individual midichlorian counts."

"Midichlorian counts?" Luke looked confused. "What are midichlorians?"

"Oh, I explained this to Master Skywalker not long after we began training at the Academy. You see, midichlorians are—"

"Wait," Luke interrupted her, "_I'm_ Master Skywalker, Tionne."

She blinked. "Oh, right." She began to speak again, then stopped herself. "Give me one moment. This is getting rather confusing."

"You can say that again," Mirax muttered.

Tionne scribbled something on two sheets of flimisplast, took out some adhesive from a drawer, and attached a sheet to the two men. Luke glanced down to see that his sheet read _LUKE_ and Corran's read _CORRAN_.

She sat back down, then nodded. "Better."

"Perhaps I should have the students make nametags?" Mara said wryly.

Luke rolled his eyes at her.

"Anyway, Master Skywalker, you don't remember our discussion about midichlorians?"

Luke furrowed his brow. "Now that you mention it, the name does sound familiar, but I can't seem to recall the conversation."

Tionne sighed. "I shouldn't be surprised. That was around the time you got involved with Mara."

Mara laughed. "Master Skywalker, you were shirking your duties? I am shocked and appalled!"

"Hey, you were rather distracting back then."

"Whatever, Luke, you were the one who was ridiculous back then." Corran raised his voice, affecting a whine. "'What are you taaaalking about? I don't loooooove Mara!' Then, five minutes later, 'I love Mara sooooo much! Why did she leeaaaave me?'"

Luke cringed. "I do not sound like that, nor did I ever say such things. Don't believe him, Mara."

Corran snorted. "Okay, whatever."

"Anyway, moving on." Luke cleared his throat, trying to affect his "Jedi Master" demeanor, but it felt so odd while in Corran's body. "Tionne, why don't you explain midichlorians to all of us?"

"All right. According to the information I've uncovered from the old Jedi texts, midichlorians are microscopic organisms that live inside our cells. The higher one's midichlorian count is, the more potential they have in the Force."

"So, the Force is just basically…science?" Mirax asked skeptically.

Tionne shook her head. "Not exactly. It appears that the midichlorians only make it possible for one to sense the Force. It's what enables that innate connection. But the midichlorians are not the Force itself, and just because one has a high concentration of midichlorians, does not mean that they will become a powerful Jedi."

"I think I understand," Mara said. "It's almost like measuring one's intelligence quotient."

Tionne nodded in affirmation. "Exactly. Now, I've been unable to ascertain if midichlorians have any other effects on the body besides enabling Force sensitivity, because all official records were erased upon the formation of the Empire. But, judging from what you two have experienced, it seems that your specific skills in the Force are tied your individual midichlorians, which would explain Master Skywalker's sudden inability to perform telekinetic feats."

Corran sat up completely straight in his chair. "Wait a minute. If Luke can't use TK because he's in my body, I should be able to do it while in his body, right?"

"Very astute reasoning, CorSec," Mara muttered.

He ignored her, concentrating on a datapad on Tionne's desk. After a few moments, it rose into the air. Corran pumped a fist. "YES!" He turned his attention to another datapad, which joined the other. _"YES!"_

Tionne reached out to grab the datapads, then placed them back with the others. "Well, it appears my theory is correct. This is absolutely fascinating. I can sense your individual Force essences in each other's bodies, and yet your powers remain unswitched. The implications of this could change the way we view the Force forever!"

"Yeah, Tionne, this is all very exciting and I'm sure you're ready to pop a vein. But I'm pregnant and for some odd reason I'd like my husband back in the proper body sooner rather than later."

Tionne gave Mirax an apologetic grimace. "Oh, yes. Well, in your message you stated that you believe this situation has something to do with the mission to Byss?"

Mara nodded. "It makes sense. They went to research Palpatine's information on soul transference, and then they actually transferred souls. It's too much of a coincidence."

"I think you're right. Master Skywalker," she succeeded in looking at the correct person this time, "you brought back data and artifacts, is that correct?

"Yes, it is!" Corran answered for him. "Allow me!" He squinted, then the stack of datapads and bagful of artifacts rose from beside Mirax's chair. They floated gracefully across the room and landed in the middle of Tionne's desk.

She blinked in annoyance. "Right. Well, I will begin the research immediately."

"Do you have any idea how long it will take to figure out how to switch back?" Mara asked eagerly.

"I'm sorry, Mara, but before I can determine a solution I need to first establish the cause. But do not worry; I'm sure the answer will be in here somewhere." She pointed to the rather large stack of datapads.

Mara glanced to Luke. He smiled at her encouragingly, and reached over to squeeze her hand. Mara smiled back, and Luke could sense that she was trying to remind herself that he was _Luke_, not Corran.

Apparently, it didn't work. After a few seconds she shuddered and removed her hand. Turning back to Tionne's desk she whispered, _"Please hurry."_


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Still unsure as to what to do about their unusual situation, the two couples ended up in the mess as both Corran and Mirax were whining about being hungry. Normally the couples took their morning and evening meals in their individual suites, but they needed a distraction this morning.

"I have never been so hungry in my entire life," Corran said in between shoveling food into his mouth. "I always thought the legendary Skywalker appetite was just an exaggeration, but I don't think it is!"

"Why would I lie about that?" Luke asked, as he took much more measured bites of his instant cereal.

Corran shrugged. "I dunno, I question why you do a lot of things."

"Watch it, Horn," Mara threatened.

Corran smiled through bites of his five-course meal.

"Serves you right, though," Mirax muttered, unwrapping another puff pie. "Now you know how I feel."

Luke couldn't help himself. "Is that all you ever eat, Mirax?"

Mirax narrowed her eyes at him. "For the record, this is the only food that I can keep down for an extended period of time. So yes, this is all I ever eat right now. Cilghal said it's perfectly healthy as long as I continue taking my vitamins."

Luke raised his hands in supplication. "If you say so." He did not want to get involved in another argument with Mirax, pregnant or not.

They ate the rest of their meals in silence. Eventually students and teachers alike started filing into the mess. One student, an eleven-year-old apprentice named Tem, stopped by their table and bowed formally. "Good morning, Master Skywalker."

Corran ignored the student, focusing intently on eating, until Mara kicked him under the table. "Ow! What was—" He stopped speaking, suddenly realizing that Tem had been speaking to him. "Oh! Oh." He put down his utensils and cleared his throat. "Good morning…"

Luke mentally rolled his eyes. _Tem, _he sent.

"…Tem! How are you today?"

"Fine, thank you," the boy said. "Um…I just wanted to tell you that I did my exercises just as you told us to, and I think I finally understand yesterday's lesson!"

The boy seemed nervous, but there was a hint of underlying pride in his voice. Luke wanted to reach out and shake the boy's hand…but he kept his hands firmly in his lap.

Corran paused, considering what to say. "That's great, Tem. I'm looking forward to seeing what you have learned."

"Thank you, Master." With that, the boy turned to the others, said good morning and bowed, then left.

Corran breathed a sigh of relief and went back to eating. "Thanks for the save, Luke."

"Well, we can't have the students thinking that Master Skywalker forgot their names."

"That does answer one question, though," Mara said. "Whether or not the students will be able to tell what happened."

Luke nodded. "The younger ones aren't strong enough in the Force to figure it out themselves. Some of the older ones might, but they're not around us enough, so they probably won't even realize. The other teachers…now they're the ones I worry about."

"Do you think we should just let the nexu out of the bag, and make a formal announcement?" Corran asked.

"And say what, that we switched bodies and we have no idea how it happened or how to fix the problem? No, I think it would be too confusing for the younger students. Which means…"

"Which means what?

Luke sighed. "Which means that we'll have to take over each other's classes for the time being."

"Whoa, wait a minute! I teach flight classes. You teach the youngest apprentices. I don't think this is a fair trade at all."

"This entire situation isn't fair, Corran," Mara reminded him. "Just ask your wife."

"But what do I know about introduction to the Force?"

"You are a Jedi Knight, and I do seem to remember you taking those classes."

"Yeah, when I was an adult."

"Could've fooled me."

Mirax laughed at Mara's joke so hard that she spit out some of her puff pie. Corran rolled his eyes at the two women. "Very funny. But seriously, Luke's the master for a reason."

"Look, I'm not happy about it either," Luke said. "But you could just think of it as practice." He looked pointedly at Mirax's belly.

Corran sighed. "Fine. I guess I have no other choice. But I hope you at least have lesson plans I can follow."

"Of course, you know how Tionne is."

Corran shuddered. "I thought she was going to hit me when I turned in my plans five days late."

"I'm surprised she didn't."

They all laughed, and it seemed that the crisis had passed. Luke tried not to worry about the upcoming day of classes. All he had to concern himself with was being an effective teacher, which is what he did every day of his life. Sure, he'd be teaching a different class than usual, but at least it was a subject he was well versed in.

Still, he hoped that Tionne came up with a solution sooner rather than later. It was getting very frustrating, not even being able to hold his wife's hand without her shuddering at him.

Just as they were finishing their meal Tyria Sarkin Tainer, one of the other instructors, entered the mess. She saw the four of them and waved.

"Hey, guys!" She maneuvered her swollen belly into a spare seat at the table. Tyria had been a member of Wraith Squadron, but had officially retired from the military upon becoming pregnant with her first child. She was staying at the Academy for the duration of her pregnancy and spent her spare time with Mirax, commiserating about their fertile flyboy husbands. "I'm surprised to see you four in here."

"Well, we were all out of puff pies," Mirax lied.

"Oh, don't worry, I understand. I went through that phase for a while. Now I'll eat anything I can get my hands on. Thank the Force Cilghal says I've only got about a month left."

Mirax pulled a face. "Lucky; I don't know if I can stand another five months of this."

"Eh, just make flyboy here rub your feet and follow your every command."

"I already do," Corran mumbled. Too late did he realize his mistake.

Tyria glanced at him curiously. "Um…did I miss something?"

Luke sighed. "Tyria, um, this is kind of an odd situation…we're hoping to keep it quiet…"

As he was talking Tyria's eyes grew wider and wider…and then she turned to Corran and had the exact same reaction as Tionne.

Except she laughed for a lot longer.

"It's not that funny, Sarkin," Mara growled. "Mirax and I are the ones who have to deal with this mess."

"You're right, you're right." Tyria composed herself, sat up, glanced between Luke and Corran, and then started laughing all over again.

Mirax sighed. "What happened to pregnant sisterhood solidarity?"

"It switched bodies with someone else."

Mirax's eyes narrowed. "You just wait until you're not pregnant anymore and I can hit you."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." Tyria managed to stop laughing long enough to speak. "How in the nine Corellian hells did this happen?"

Corran shrugged. "We think it has something to do with our mission to Byss."

"You mean the mission Mara didn't want Luke going on?"

"_Thank _you!" Mara said, shoving Luke on the shoulder.

"But we haven't figured out what exactly caused it yet," Corran continued. "Tionne's on the case right now."

"Ahh. So, what happens in the meantime?"

"We figured it would be best to keep it a secret for now," Luke explained. "Corran will take over my classes, and I'll teach his. Hopefully, Tionne can figure out this situation quickly, before any of the older students realize what happened."

"I see. And what happens when the rest of the instructors figure it out?"

"I will trust them to keep a modicum of discretion, that is if they want to keep their jobs."

Tyria swallowed hard. "Of course, Master Skywalker." She paused. "It's really weird calling you that with that face."

"Don't worry; Tionne had to make nametags," Mara chimed in.

Tyria glanced at the two men thoughtfully. "That's not a bad idea. But I've got a better one. From now on, you—" She pointed at Luke. "—are Lorran. And you—" She pointed at Corran. "—are Cuke."

"Cuke?" Corran exclaimed. "That's a horrible name! Why can't I be Lorran?"

"Because it doesn't make sense. You're Corran-in-Luke's-body, which shortens to Cuke. And Luke is Luke-as-Corran, so Lorran."

Mara leaned over to Mirax. "Be sure _not_ to put those names on your baby list."

Mirax nodded seriously.

"Well Lorran, Cuke, I need to go use the facilities and then head off to my first class. May the Force be with you." She offered them a salute, then pushed herself up from the table and left, laughing the entire way.

"Come on, Cuke," Mirax said, following Tyria's lead. "I need you to rub my feet again before you start your day molding the minds of the next generation of Force users."

Corran rolled his eyes, but followed her obediently. "That is such a horrible name."

"Like 'Lorran' is any better," Luke bit out.

"At least your name doesn't rhyme with 'puke!'"

"My _actual _name does!"

"Oh, right." Corran looked thoughtful. "Hey, did kids call you that when you were growing up?"

"Thankfully, no."

"Really? What _did _they call you, then?"

"None of your business."

"Ooh, I know!" Mara interjected, raising her hand.

Luke grabbed her arm and led her away from the Horns. "Come on, dear, you need to get to class."

Mara pouted. "But I love your nickname."

"Don't make me regret telling you."

Mara's gaze turned mischievous. "Oh, don't worry, I won't—" She paused, taking note of his face, and shuddered. "Ugh, I can't do it! I can't say those things when you look like that." She pulled her arm away and sighed. "Why did you have to switch bodies with Cuke of all people?"

"I'm sorry, is there someone else you'd rather have me switch bodies with?"

"Kyle," she said without thinking.

Luke paused and stared at her incredulously. _"Kyle?"_

Mara shrugged. "What, like you don't think anyone else in this Academy is attractive? I see the way you look at Cray—hey, where are you going?"

Luke glanced back at her over his shoulder. "To make sure Tionne never schedules you for a class with Katarn ever again!"


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

.

It had been, for lack of a better word, an interesting day.

Luke's morning flight class was a bit of a disaster, as Corran's lesson plans were barely legible and contained inane notes such as "when the rhyscate is gone the kawdaw will fly away." He eventually decided to come up with his own plans, which was even more interesting because Luke had never officially gone through flight school and the students had no idea what "threading the needle" meant.

Thankfully the afternoon class was more successful. His teaching instinct came shining through, even while occupying another body, and Luke felt like he was able to connect with the students. Since he hadn't seen any crying apprentices, he could only assume that Corran's classes also went somewhat well.

Mara was already home for the evening when Luke arrived, working on some reports in the living area. Luke crossed the room to place his hand on her shoulder. "How was your day?"

She flinched at his touch, but did not remove his hand. "Fine." Her attention remained firmly on the computer terminal. "The students are really getting the hang of lightsaber combat. How were Cuke's classes?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm going to have to talk to Tionne about Corran's lesson plans, but I think they went all right."

"I should've warned you, Cuke's lessons plans are always awful. I usually end up changing them whenever we teach together."

"I'll keep that in mind." He turned and walked toward the kitchen, calling back over his shoulder. "What would you like for dinner?"

"What do we have?"

Luke rummaged through the cabinets and refrigeration unit, looking for appropriate dinner food. "We've got some dewback steak and tubers."

"That sounds fine."

As it was his turn to cook, he set about preparing their meal. While chopping the tubers, he couldn't help but stare at his right hand for a few moments. He'd long since become accustomed to having a prosthetic and only thought about it when it was time for a calibration. The cybernetic hand looked entirely real, which the exception of the wrist access panel which was usually hidden by clothing, so people who weren't privy to the knowledge wouldn't be able to tell it was a fake.

But now, having a real hand again…it felt very odd. It was almost _too _sensitive, too responsive to outside stimuli. Before now Luke had never realized how much his prosthetic hand had become a part of him.

"Credit for your thoughts?" Luke glanced up at his wife, who was leaning against the counter, watching him cook.

He help up his—well, Corran's—right hand. "It's weird."

Mara took the hand, examining it closely. "I like your other one better. Well, I like your other _everything_ better."

Luke smiled and turned his attention back to the food. Mara helped and soon they had a delicious meal prepared. Dinner was normal, with the two of them making no conversation about their unusual situation. It seemed that they had both decided to act as if everything was business as usual, wanting to avoid the topic of their sleeping arrangements as long as possible.

But they couldn't wait forever, and finally it was time to retire. Luke stared in the mirror as he washed, trying to get used to his new face. It was futile. He couldn't blame Mara for being weirded out…but that wouldn't stop him from trying.

Luke crawled into bed, pulled up the covers, and rolled over to place his arm around Mara's waist as he did every night. For a moment she relaxed into his touch and he thought they would be able to overcome the barrier to physical affection.

But then she gently pushed him away and slunk out of his embrace. "I'm sorry, Lorran," she said. "I really am. But…I just can't do this when you look like that."

Luke sighed. "Mara, you can't expect me not to want to show affection to my wife, much less not to want to be intimate with her."

"Might I remind you of our activities last night?"

"It's your fault for being so hot."

Mara rolled her eyes. "Flattery will get you nowhere right now, Lorran."

Luke cringed. "Please don't call me that."

"Why not, Lorran?"

He sighed again. "You know…I was thinking."

"Uh-oh."

"Corran's able to do telekinesis in my body…I should be able to use some of his unique powers while I'm stuck in his, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"He can project images into people's heads."

Mara's eyes widened. "You're not suggesting…?"

"Why not? It'd solve the problem of you not being able to be intimate with me when I look like this."

"Skywalker. That is _not_ going to happen."

"Hey, you called me Skywalker, that's making progress."

Mara threw back her head in exasperation. After counting to ten she raised herself up on her elbow so she could look him in the eye. "_Lorran._ I am _not _being intimate with you in Horn's body. I just can't do it! Would you be able to have sex with a body snatcher?"

"I'm not a body snatcher, Mara! Both of us switched bodies, completely unwillingly, I might add!"

"It doesn't matter. Cuke's like my brother, and I'd feel like I'm cheating on you."

"But it _is _me, Mara! Just…close your eyes."

Mara shook her head apologetically. "I'm sorry. I just can't."

Luke threw himself back onto the pillow in frustration. "You're being ridiculous."

"Hey! I'm not the one who went jaunting off to Byss against my wishes! And put yourself in my position. What if I switched bodies with someone—Cray, for example? You wouldn't find it weird at all to suddenly be making out with your former apprentice?"

"Mara, I made out with you _when_ you were my apprentice."

"That's irrelevant, you knew me beforehand."

"Okay, I admit it would be odd at first, but I'd get over it. I'm in love with _you_, not your body. Although I do love that as well," he added, suggestively running a finger down her arm.

Mara cringed and slapped away his finger. "You're only saying this because you think Cray is hot."

"I do not!"

"Okay, fine. But answer me this—what if I traded bodies with Han?"

It was all Luke could do not to throw up right in the bed. His eyes widened, and his stomach audibly churned.

Mara smiled knowingly. "That's what I thought. 'Night, Lorran." She patted him on the cheek, then turned away and settled into sleep.

Luke blew out a breath and rolled over, echoing her pose. _Well, looks like I won't be lifting_ anything _for a while._


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

The next morning Luke woke up to an insistent pounding in his head. He soon realized that it was Mara, hitting him with her pillow. His arms rose instinctively to protect himself, but Mara was relentless.

"Get up, Lorran!"

Luke groaned at the sound of his new nickname. Apparently his memories of the past day weren't just a dream. He reluctantly opened his eyes and checked his hand.

Yup, still Lorran.

He sighed as Mara pulled him out of bed. "What's wrong, love?"

She glared at him. "Don't try to be nice to me." She shoved him inside the 'fresher and pointed to the toilet. "What is this?"

Luke furrowed his brow. "Um, the toilet?"

Mara rolled her eyes. "Check the area around the toilet, Master Jedi."

Luke blinked the sleep out of his eyes, then peered forward. Sure enough, there were several…puddles…on the floor around the toilet, not to mention wet spots over the toilet lid itself.

"Do you have an explanation for this?"

Luke grimaced. "Um, it was dark?"

"Lorran!" Mara shoved him, then gestured to the mess. "This is disgusting! What the hell were you doing in here?"

"Listen, Mara, I'll clean it up, don't worry—"

"Were you even watching what you were doing?"

Luke paused. How could he answer that question without inciting Mara's ire?

Apparently, the pause was enough answer for her. Her hands moved to her hips and Luke winced, predicting the onslaught that was about to happen.

"Skywalker."

Oh yes, this was bad, she had moved on from his stupid nickname and was referring to him by his last name.

She took a deep breath, trying not to scream. "Skywalker. Were your eyes closed?"

He studied his hands. "Yes."

Mara sighed. "Were you at least…guiding your stream?"

"…I didn't want to touch it."

_"Skywalker!"_ Now she couldn't contain her screams, and Luke cringed, hoping nobody in the Temple heard her. "What is _wrong_ with you?"

"Hey! You should understand! You didn't want to look at it, either."

"Yes, because Cuke's like my brother. You two have the same parts; you can at least be mature and make sure you don't pee all over the floor like some two-year-old who isn't 'fresher trained!"

"It's gross, Mara."

"Oh yeah, so gross that you wanted to be intimate with me in that body."

Luke met her gaze and tried his best Farmboy grin. "Can you blame me?"

"Nice try, but that doesn't work when you're wearing Cuke's face."

Luke scowled.

Mara left the refresher, then returned with some cleaning supplies. "Okay Lorran, here's what's going to happen. You're going to clean up this mess. Then you're going to use the toilet like a normal person. _Then_ you're going to take a shower."

"But Maaaaaara—"

"No buts! You stink and it's time you cleaned that body of yours."

"You could at least help me out."

Mara glared at the mess around the toilet. "Good luck, Skywalker." With that, she stepped out of the room and the door swished shut behind her.

Luke made a face at her through the door, then resigned himself to cleaning up his mess. Thankfully, it didn't take long. He placed the trash in the receptacle, the cleaning supplies on the counter, and then glared as his nemesis.

The toilet.

Perhaps he could just, you know, go in the shower?

"USE THE TOILET LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!"

He sighed, turned around, and stripped off his sleep clothes. He turned back around, facing the toilet, keeping his eyes firmly away from the offending object. Stepping close to the toilet, he tried to figure out how he could do this. If he was in his own body, there would be no problem in directing the "stream" as Mara had referred to it. But of course Corran couldn't do telekinesis, which is why there'd been a mess in the 'fresher in the first place.

He had no choice. _Okay Skywalker, just man up and do this._

He did.

When he was finished he stepped back and tilted his head thoughtfully. _Well, that wasn't so bad, now was it?_

Then he turned to the shower.

Right. Still bad.

Reaching into the shower, he turned on the water, then sat on the lid of the toilet. Mara wouldn't be able to tell if he actually washed himself, right?

There was a loud pounding at the door. "GET IN THE SHOWER!"

Apparently, she could.

Affecting another heavy sigh, Luke climbed into the shower and closed the door. The water was warm and refreshing and he stepped forward instinctively, allowing it to flow over his unfamiliar muscles. Well, this wasn't so bad. He could just stand here for a few minutes and pretend that he'd washed himself.

"USE THE CLEANSER!"

For the first time since they'd gotten married, Luke wished he didn't have a Force bond with his wife.

Knowing he had no other choice, he pumped a dollop of cleanser on his hand and began washing himself. He kept his eyes on the shower wall and his thoughts on other things, like smashball scores. Not on the fact that he was washing Corran Horn's body.

He shivered and involuntarily looked down. "Huh."

"What was that, Lorran?" Mara asked, obviously listening through the 'fresher door.

"Oh, nothing."

"What is it, Skywalker?"

Luke shook his head and kept washing. "I guess the phrase 'everything's bigger on Corellia' really is true after all."

"Oh, gods, I don't need to know about this. Please stop talking."

"I'm talking about his stomach! I think he's been sneaking some of Mirax's puff pies."

"Oh." Mara sounded relieved.

The rest of the shower proceeded without incident. After drying himself, he wrapped the towel around his waist and entered the bedroom. Mara was in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. "I laid out clothes for you!" she called.

Luke smiled. That was thoughtful of her.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw the aforementioned clothes. "Mara. I am _not_ wearing that."

"You have to. If we're going to keep up the ruse that you are Cuke, you need to wear his clothes."

"I don't want to wear green!"

"Don't worry; Mirax is forcing him to wear black."

Luke groaned. "I don't deserve this, Mara."

She poked her head into the room and glared at him. "I told you not to go to Byss." Then she disappeared, mentally reminding him that she and Mirax were the _real _victims in this whole situation.

He couldn't really disagree with her.

When he entered the kitchen, wearing Corran's traditional Corellian Jedi robes, Mara turned to him and smiled. "Well, it might've taken switching bodies to get you to wear something other than black, but you look nice, Lorran. Maybe you'll actually try this when you're back in your own body?"

"Don't count on it, although if Tionne manages to fix this soon, I might be willing to wear bright fuschia."

Mara smiled, then placed Luke's breakfast in front of him. It was his favorite, complete with blue milk to wash it down.

He ate in silence while Mara got dressed in the bedroom. He reached out for his glass of blue milk, anticipating its smooth, refreshing texture.

Instead, he nearly spit out the offending beverage. "Ugh! Mara, I think there's something wrong with the blue milk!"

She emerged from the bedroom clad in her combat jumpsuit. "What's that?"

"The milk." He pointed at it, crinkling his nose. "I think it's sour."

Mara picked up the class, sniffed it, then placed it back down in front of him. "Smells fine to me."

Luke mimicked her movements. The smell was even worse than the taste. "Ugh!" He got up and poured the milk into the sink. "Seriously, Mara, there has to be something wrong with it."

"Lorran," she stifled a laugh, "I don't know how to tell you this…"

"Tell me what, Mara?"

She smiled openly at him now. "That smell? That's what it normally smells like."

Luke's eyes widened. "What?"

Mara nodded. "That's what it normally tastes like, too."

"But…it's disgusting!"

"Yes. It is. I think it's an acquired taste you have to pick up as a child or something."

"You mean," Luke couldn't help but be heartbroken, "blue milk really tastes that bad?"

Mara crossed to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Lorran. I know how difficult it is to learn that everything you once knew is a lie."

Luke glanced back at the milk in the sink, feeling like his entire world had been shattered. "But it always tasted so good…it reminds me of home."

"Don't worry, Lorran. I'm sure once you switch bodies back, you'll enjoy the taste again."

Luke crinkled his nose. Then he glanced up, a look of horror on his face. "Oh, Mara. I'm so sorry I ever made you drink that!" He pulled her into a crushing hug. "Can you ever forgive me?"

She chuckled against him. "Sure thing, Lorran. As long as you wear some color from now on."

Luke pulled back from her and nodded furiously. "Deal!"


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

.

"All right, kids, stretch out with the Force!"

The group of apprentices sat completely still and closed their eyes. After a few moments, the piles of stones that were set in front of them began to rise into the air.

"Fantastic!" Corran praised. "Now, make them fly around your heads!"

The groups of stones separated into circles, then began spinning around and around. Standing in the middle of the courtyard, Corran's stones spun the fastest and he cackled in absolute glee. "Wonderful! You will all make fine little Jedi! Now, spin them faster!"

Leaning against the stone wall, Luke snorted in derision. He wanted to jump in and yell at Corran to follow his lesson plans, but knew it would be pointless. Corran was having too much fun using telekinesis. Luke really couldn't blame him, but the students had not become proficient enough in the Force to learn how to use telekinesis responsibly. "'Unlearn what you have learned.'" He shook his head, imagining the mess he was going to have to clean up once they switched back bodies. "Yoda definitely had it easier than I will."

He stayed there for the duration of the class, wanting to ensure that things didn't get too out of hand. Plus, he missed his students. Corran's flight classes just weren't the same. It was an important skill, to be sure, but it would never compare to one's first introduction to the Force.

Sensing someone approaching, Luke smoothed out his ridiculous green robes and took out his datapad, pretending to be examining something, and hoping that it was someone who was aware of their precarious situation.

Unfortunately, it wasn't—it was Cray Mingla, one of the Order's chief scientists. She was on Yavin IV for a brief sojourn between missions.

"Hello, Cray."

She glanced over at Luke and nodded. "Jedi Horn. How are you this morning?"

"Fine, thank you, and yourself?"

She smiled, turning her attention to Corran, still twirling stones in the center of the students. "Oh, I'm just great."

"Can I help you with something?"

"Actually, you can. Tionne sent me to give you and Master Skywalker a message. She'd like to see you in her office right away."

Luke's heart leapt, hoping beyond hope that Tionne had found a solution to their little problem. "Thank you, I'll be sure to pass along the message."

She nodded but didn't leave the training room. Watching her, Luke noticed that she seemed a little bit distracted…or was _enamored _a better word?

He really shouldn't take advantage of his situation…it was completely unbecoming of the head of the Jedi Order.

But dammit, he deserved to have some fun, too.

"So, Cray," he started, as casually as possible, "what do you think of Master Skywalker's teaching style?"

"Oh, he's a wonderful instructor," Cray said, unabashed. "I don't think I would have ever become as proficient in the Force under another Master."

"Really?" Luke hoped he didn't sound too smug, but it was hard not to be. Cray really was an attractive woman—not nearly as breathtaking as Mara, of course. Han had been right when he'd referred to her as the blonde with the legs—not that he would ever say something so crude about one of his students—unless it was Mara, of course.

And if Mara had a thing for Kyle, then there was no harm in believing that Cray was nice-looking, was there?

"Oh, yes. He's the best." Cray tilted her at Corran, and her smile grew larger.

Luke paused, trying to think of a good response that wouldn't reveal the situation. Cray wasn't as strong in the Force as some of the other Jedi, but she was very intelligent and would be able to figure it out if Luke acted funny. Finally, it came to him in a flash of brilliance, and he flashed Cray a mischievous grin. "You better not let his wife catch you watching him like that."

"What?" Cray's eyes widened and she gave a little cough. "Oh, don't worry, she already has and made her opinion on the matter quite clear."

"Is that so?" Luke had never heard this story before.

Cray nodded. "This is embarrassing…but my friends and I used to observe Master Skywalker's lightsaber katas. It was a silly girl thing." She shrugged. "When Mara returned to the Academy, she let us know in no unfamiliar terms that Master Skywalker was her man." She laughed. "Looking back on it, the entire situation was quite amusing."

"Really?" Luke could barely contain his shavit-eating grin. In fact, he did remember when that happened, and how Mara insisted that his observers weren't as innocent as they claimed. Luke had argued that she was being ridiculous, but apparently she wasn't.

Not that it mattered, as he only had eyes for Mara. Still, it _was _nice to know that a woman more than five years his junior found him attractive, and even nicer to know that Mara had been so territorial about him. He felt himself leaning against the wall, affecting a self-satisfied pose he'd seen Corran take many times.

"Yeah. Not to mention embarrassing; I mean, now he's almost like my dad!"

If Luke had been drinking anything at that moment, it would've been all over Cray's shirt. _"What _did you say?"

"You know, being the head of the Academy and the Order and all. Once I stopped seeing him as eye candy, I truly realized just how intelligent and powerful he is. He's someone you want on your side, you know? He's so protective and helpful…you know, just like my father. And he looks so mature in his black robes!"

Luke gaped at her for a long moment. How could he go from feeling so sure of himself to feeling like he had the wind knocked out of him? _Well, that's women for you._ "Um…I guess I know what you mean," is all he could think of to say.

"And besides," Cray added, gesturing to the students, "look at how great he is with children!"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Yeah, he's just fantastic."

"Anyway, thanks for giving him my message." She patted him on the shoulder, oblivious to his mood. "Have a good day!"

"Whatever," Luke muttered. At that moment Corran dismissed the children and they started filing out of the courtyard. Luke cleared his throat. "Master Skywalker!"

Corran turned, furrowing his brow. He noticed Luke and hurried over. "What's up, Lorran?"

Luke somehow managed to resist smacking Corran on the head. "Tionne wants to see us. Let's go."

.

.

.

"Well, gentleman, I'm glad to inform you that I've found the cause of your predicament."

Luke could barely contain his excitement. He and Corran had hurried to Tionne's office and found their wives waiting for them. That meant the news was either really good—Tionne had found a solution, or really bad—they would never be able to switch back.

Mara breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the Maker!"

"Yes, that's great," Corran added. Mirax nodded, but did not look as excited as the others. Perhaps she was feeling sick. Luke gave her a sympathetic smile.

"So what caused it?" Mara asked.

"One of the Emperor's artifacts." Tionne pointed to a statue on her desk. "I've skimmed all the information on soul transference, and according to the records this object is the focal point of the energies and Force abilities necessary for such an occurrence."

Mara narrowed her eyes at the offending object. "Then why is it still in one piece?"

"Because we need it to switch them back, Mara."

"Oh. Of course." She lowered her voice and leaned over to Luke. "I _told_ you not to go to Byss."

He ignored her.

"Now, there's a ritual involved that should switch you two back without any complications."

Luke clapped his hands together. "Let's get it started, then!"

Tionne shook her head. "Unfortunately, it's not that simple. The ritual is specific to the people involved. In order to switch you back, I need to first know why you traded bodies in the first place."

"I thought you already explained that?" Mirax asked. "That statue thing."

"The statue is what accommodated the transference, but it was not the cause."

"What _was _the cause?" Mara's voice sounded both intrigued and threatening. Luke moved himself slightly away from her.

"That is what you need to tell me."

For a long moment, nobody spoke. Finally, Luke broke the silence. "Excuse me?"

"There had to be a desire to transfer souls; it is not an event that could occur naturally."

"Well, that's interesting." Mara turned her body to glare at Luke. "Completely unwillingly, huh?"

"Now, Mara, before you jump to conclusions, it did not have to necessarily be a strong desire. It could have been completely unconscious. Judging from what you described of the situation, it was probably a random thought that happened to occur at the exact same time in both individuals, and the close proximity of the artifact initiated the transfer."

"I see."

"So what I need from you, Cuke and Lorran, is what exactly necessitated the transfer."

Corran raised his hand. "I think I know. I wanted to do TK."

Luke stared at him, incredulous; Mara mimicked his gesture. "Seriously? _That's_ why you wanted to switch bodies? So you could do TK?"

"Hey, you don't understand what it's like! I have to watch all you other guys floating things around. I've never been able to lift anything in my life!"

Mirax poked him in the arm. "Are you sure that's the reason? Maybe you're just sick of tending to the needs of your pregnant wife!"

"No!" Corran shook his head vigorously. "That's not it at all, Maxipoo! I swear! I just wanted to do TK so I could get you puff pies in bed, and you wouldn't have to wait for me!"

"You mean you didn't want to have to get out of bed to go get them," Mara muttered.

"Shut _up_, Mara!"

"Okay!" Tionne interrupted. "You can discuss this later. For now, Lorran, do you have any idea as to what could have predicated your swap?"

Luke shook his head, wondering if Tionne was right about this. He had absolutely no reason to want to switch lives with someone else. He was married to the most wonderful woman in the galaxy. He had a sister and brother and a niece and nephews he loved dearly. And he was more certain of his place in the Force than ever before. Why would he want to trade places with anybody?

He shrugged his shoulders, feeling much less excited than when he'd entered Tionne's office. "I'm sorry. I can't think of anything." He did his best to ignore the look of disappointment on Mara's face.

"Well, I am certain you will be able to figure it out soon," Tionne reassured him. "For now, I will continue researching the ritual."

"Thank you, Tionne."

They left the office, and for the first time since this whole fiasco began Mara put her arm around Luke. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

He nodded, unable to share her optimism. "Why would I want to trade lives with Corran? It doesn't make sense."

"HEY!" Mirax jumped forward and smacked him on the head. "Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean that it's not nice being married to me! I'm a good wife, you know! I'm good in bed! And I make a hell of a lot of money!"

"I'm sure you do, Mirax, and I didn't mean it that way—"

"Sure, whatever, let's everyone pick on poor old pregnant Mirax. Well I'm sick of it. Go get me another puff pie!"

Luke had no choice but to obey.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

That evening, Luke did what he always did when he needed to think—he went to work on his X-wing. As leader of the Jedi he didn't get to fly nearly enough to his liking, but just as it had been when he was a kid, fixing things always seemed to make everything else better.

Artoo was in the hangar, plugged into one of the computer terminals, when he arrived. He immediately set out to the droid but was stopped in his tracks by a green and white astromech who was tweedling insistently.

"Oh," Luke stopped himself, absently patting the droid on its dome. "Hello, Whistler."

The droid beeped happily.

_Right,_Luke thought ruefully. Poor Whistler thought that Luke was his master. How was he supposed to explain this crazy situation to a droid? It would be too complicated; he might as well just try to get away. "Listen, Whistler, I'm going to go work on the other X-wing, all right?"

The droid rolled forward, bumping into the back of Luke's legs. He rolled in a circle several times, then extended one of his appendages toward Corran's X-wing.

"No, I'm not working on that X-wing, I'm working on _that_ one."

There was a long, mournful trill as Luke walked away. He cringed, feeling guilty about rejecting the other droid.

Why did these crazy things always have to happen to him? Wasn't it bad enough that he was put into a coma by a long-dead Sith Lord?

He was pulled out of his reverie by another loud trill, this one indignant and annoyed. Artoo was directly in front of him, rocking back and forth intently, letting out a loud string of beeps. Luke could only imagine what his little droid was saying.

He let out a loud sigh, realizing that he would need to explain the situation before Artoo would even let him touch the X-wing. He knelt down, staring the droid in his ocular sensor. "Hey, Artoo. Listen, I know this will be difficult for you to understand, but you just gotta trust me, okay?"

There was an affirmative beep.

"Okay, here's the thing, I'm not Corran Horn, I'm Luke."

There was a loud explosion of noise and Luke winced, leaning backwards. "Whoa, hold on." He fetched a datapad and plugged it into the droid. "Okay, now go."

There was another loud cacophony. _THAT DOES NOT COMPUTE._

"Let me try to put this in a way you can comprehend. You see, Corran and I switched bodies. I'm still Master Luke, I'm just wearing his body."

_I DO NOT UNDERSTAND._

"Think of it like this—imagine if you and Threepio had traded memory banks."

There was another explosion of angry bleeps. Artoo began rolling back and forth, nearly knocking Luke down. _THAT IS A MEAN THING TO SAY. I AM GOING TO TELL MASTER LUKE YOU SAID THAT. GO BACK TO YOUR OWN X-WING._

Luke sighed. "This _is_ my X-wing, Artoo. Just trust me, okay?"

_MASTER LUKE WOULD NOT LIKE YOU TOUCHING HIS X-WING._

"I _am_ Master Luke, Artoo. Remember Tatooine? Obi-Wan Kenobi? Visiting Master Yoda on Dagobah?"

_BEEEEEEEEEEEP!_

Apparently, Master Yoda wasn't the best argument to use. Artoo extended his arc welder and rolled forward, emitting low, annoyed beeps. Luke backed up and held out his arms in supplication. "Artoo, you're being unreasonable! Listen to me, please!"

"Is there a problem?"

Luke whipped around to find Corran swaggering into the hangar. Artoo let out a shrill, happy tweet and zoomed over to the man that looked like his master. From the amount of noise, it sounded as if he was trying to explain that mean old Corran Horn was trying to sabotage his X-wing. Luke placed his hands on his hips. "Whistler thinks I'm you; Artoo thinks you're me."

"Ahh." Corran looked entirely too amused with the situation. He crouched down and patted Artoo on the dome. "Good work, buddy. But it's okay; he can work on the X-wing."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Thanks, _Cuke_."

Corran grinned.

With the droid situation settled, Luke began working on his starfighter, calibrating the systems and performing some routine maintenance. After a few moments, he called over to Corran, "X-wing giving you trouble?"

Corran peered out from underneath the fuselage. "Nah, just wanted to get away for a while. You?"

"Same."

A stray hydrospanner rose from the pile of tools and flew to Corran's outstretched hand.

Luke shook his head in exasperation. "You're really taking full advantage of this TK thing, aren't you?"

Corran shrugged. "Is it wrong?"

"Do you want me to get all Jedi Master on you?"

"Preferably not."

"Then I'll just say that the Force should never be used so casually."

"I know, but this is a one-time occurrence. I might as well enjoy it while it lasts."

Luke couldn't see anything wrong with that. Corran may be overusing his newfound TK, but it wasn't like he was about to slide to the dark side because of it.

Perhaps he was just annoyed because _he_ could no longer use TK. "You're probably right. So is that _really _the reason you wanted to switch bodies?"

"Yeah."

"Are you certain? Because if you're not, the ritual won't work and—"

"I'm sure, Lorran, okay?"

Corran's tone indicated that Luke should drop it. But perhaps being in Corran's body was rubbing off on him because he couldn't help but follow up on how…embarrassed…Corran sounded. "How can you be so sure?"

Corran sighed, put down his hydrospanner, and glared at Luke. "Because Mirax and I were in bed, she demanded another puff pie, and I thought 'I wish I could use TK like Luke so I could get Mirax her puff pies without getting out of bed.'"

Luke burst out laughing. "So Mara _was_ right!"

"She's always right; you of all people should know that."

Luke shuddered. "That is true."

"Look, it's not like I have a problem with helping Mirax all the time. I know it's hard being pregnant, and I truly appreciate all she does. She's a wonderful wife—the best in the galaxy. I wouldn't give her up for anything. It's just…sometimes I think it would be so easy if I could do TK, you know?"

"You know, you could just put a box of puff pies next to the bed, that way you don't have to get up in the middle of the night."

"…That's not the point…"

"And being strong in telekinesis doesn't make everything better, you know."

"I know. It certainly won't make dealing with a Force sensitive child any better. You still have no idea what you wished for?"

Luke's breath in his throat. _Force sensitive child… _"I'm still trying to figure it out."

"Well, I just hope it doesn't take too long. I don't know if I can deal with pregnant Mirax _and_ trying to be you for much longer."

Luke turned his attention back to his X-wing. "Don't worry. It won't take long at all."

He worked in silence for another half hour or so, then put away his tools and smoothed out his robes, having come to a decision.

Ten minutes later he was sitting in Tionne's office, sitting across from the silver-haired historian. She tilted her head at him. "So, you've figured it out?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah. I wanted something that Corran has that I don't."

"A big ego?"

Luke's jaw dropped. "No, that's not it…"

"Nice hair?"

Luke self-consciously patted his head. "What's wrong with my hair?"

"Nothing! It's just kind of…there."

"Oh. Well, no, I mean, I wanted his—"

"Wardrobe?"

Luke blew out an exasperated breath. "I'm beginning to develop a complex, Tionne. I know I don't look that bad. Mara had to be attracted to me for some reason."

"Perhaps it was your lightsaber skills, Master?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "_Please,_ Tionne."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself." She allowed herself a small chuckle, then grew serious. "Okay, Master Skywalker. What is it that you wanted?"

Luke took a deep breath. "I want a baby."

Tionne nodded knowingly. "I was wondering how long it would take you to figure it out."

"Wait, you knew?"

"What else would you want that Corran has that you don't? Plus, you've been glaring vibroblades at him ever since Mirax got pregnant."

"Maybe that was because of his big ego."

"Have you spoken to Mara about it?"

Luke shook his head. "I didn't know what to say…I didn't realize how much I wanted a child until now."

"Well, perhaps you should wait until all this is straightened out before broaching the topic. She might be more amenable when you're yourself again."

Luke nodded.

"I'll get to work on this right away. Hopefully, by tomorrow night you'll be going to bed in your proper body again."

Luke could have sworn that he saw Tionne wink after that comment.

_Nah,_ he told himself as he left the office. _Corran must have bad eyesight._


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

On the third day of inhabiting Corran's body, Luke woke up and got dressed like all the others. But when he checked his datapad for his—well, Corran's—upcoming schedule, he cringed. It was an off day at the Academy, which should have been a good thing.

But no, there was something important he needed to do, and he couldn't put it off any longer. Not if he didn't want consequences.

So he dressed in a navy blue shirt and pants, ate breakfast, said good-bye to Mara, and exited the suite.

Five minutes later he was sitting at the Horn's dining table, his face staring back at him, incredulously.

"You've got to be kidding me. Can't this wait a few more days until this whole thing"—Corran motioned between himself and Luke—"is settled?"

"Unfortunately, no. I've been putting it off for a while. It'll start acting funny if I don't tend to it."

"Come on, Lorran, this is too weird."

Luke narrowed his eyes. "But I thought you wanted to be Luke Skywalker?"

"Hey, I just wanted to do TK. If I'd known I'd be called on to do _this _I would never have even thought such a thing."

"It's not that bad."

Corran sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll do it, but only because I'm such a good friend and Jedi."

"That you are. Maybe I'll consider you for Jedi Master because of this?"

"Don't make threats Lorran, it's not nice."

Luke grinned and took out his tools. "Okay, this won't hurt a bit. I promise."

Corran had his eyes squeezed shut, and opened one to respond. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. Now, give me your hand."

. . . . .

Corran and Mirax were sitting open-mouthed at the table, staring intently as Luke worked on the miniscule biometrics contained in the wrist access panel of Luke's—well, Corran's—cybernetic hand. It was odd to be performing maintenance from this angle, but Luke quickly got the hang of it.

The only issue was that Corran wouldn't sit still and was alternately awed and disgusted by the procedure. As such, he kept yanking away the hand every so often.

"How do you do this every month?" Corran asked for the tenth time. "This is so weird!"

"I told you, I don't do this every month. More like every quarter, or when things start getting a bit…stiff."

"But still, doesn't it freak you out?"

"Corran, I lost my hand when Darth Vader sliced it off with his lightsaber. Oh yeah, then about a minute later he told me he was my dad. This," he pointed to the mass of electronics in the prosthesis, "is positively normal compared to that.

"Not to mention," he held down Corran's hand as he grasped a small wire and maneuvered it slightly, "that I prefer to have a full range of motion with my hand."

"Yeah, I'll bet you do," Mirax murmured. Luke glanced at her sharply, but her attention was firmly on the hand.

Luke shrugged and concentrated on his calibration. He had given up trying to understand Mirax. Perhaps this lesson would come in handy in a few months…

A loud grumbling noise emitted from Corran's stomach. Corran cringed apologetically and moved his other hand to his belly. "Sorry."

Luke chuckled. "Don't worry, I completely understand."

"Seriously, Luke, do you have two stomachs or something? For the past two days I think I've been eating more than Mirax!"

"Hey!" She smacked her husband on the arm, thankfully the left arm that was not being tended to with various sharp objects. "I'm eating for two, and Cilghal says I'm still well within the healthy range for weight gain. So shut up get me another puff pie!"

Corran nodded. "As you wish, my dear."

A puff pie floated into the room and landed in Mirax's outstretched hand. She grinned, kissed Corran on the cheek, and left the table.

Luke groaned and turned his attention back to the hand. "At least your wife doesn't lecture you about misuse of the Force."

"Oh no." Corran's eyes flashed mischievously to his wife, who was now diligently working at the computer terminal. He lowered his voice. "She likes it."

Luke did his best to pretend that he hadn't heard that comment.

After a few more minutes, the calibration was almost finished. As Luke reached to get another tool, his hand brushed an object he hadn't noticed before. He picked up the piece of black cloth and blinked. "What is this?"

"Oh!" Corran took it from Luke and held it up; Luke could now see that it was a glove. "I figured I'd look more like you if I wore this. It was Mirax's idea."

Luke threw his head back and sighed. "Corran, you should know me well enough to know that I don't wear one lone black glove! Why would I do that? It's ridiculous."

"I dunno, the holos always show you wearing one."

"Look, I wore a black glove to cover my hand after it had been damaged during the escape from Jabba's Palace. I didn't have time to get it fixed before the Death Star battle. So now, because I was sensitive to the sensibilities of others and didn't want to make them squeamish, I'm _always_ portrayed as wearing one black glove. It's so stupid!"

"Oh don't lie Lorran, I've seen you wearing one before."

"Yes, because excessive lightsaber use causes hand calluses and sometimes it's more comfortable to wear a glove!"

"Right. Whatever you say. So tell me, what's the _real_ purpose of the glove? Is your hand cold when it's not stuck up your—ow!"

"Ooops." Luke glanced up from the hand and offered a fake cringe. "I'm sorry, did that hurt?"

Corran narrowed his eyes, but smartly remained quiet until Luke had finished the calibration.

When it was done, Corran examined the hand and donned the black leather glove. He grinned. "Seriously, Lorran, does Mara make you put this on before you touch her?"

"Shut up, Corran."

"Does this mean that after you and Mara got together, you traded one Hand for another?"

Luke was about to make a very smart-mouthed retort when the door to the suite burst open and Mara came running inside. "Guys," she panted, "Tionne just commed. The ritual is ready!"

"Yes!" Corran pumped his gloved fist into the air.

Annoyed as he was, Luke also could barely contain his excitement. He gave Mara a hug and the four of them left the suite together, all wearing bright smiles.

"Wait a minute." Luke paused for a moment, glancing back to his apartment and coming to a decision. He pulled Mara away from the others and lowered his voice. "I'll meet you guys there. There's something I want to take care of first."

"In Corran's body?" Mara cocked her brow.

"Oh, yes." Reaching out for her in their Force bond, Luke projected his idea.

Mara's eyes widened and she coughed, suppressing laughter. "Okay, but don't take too long." She squeezed his hand, then returned to the others and walked down the hall.

Luke rubbed his hands together and practically skipped back to the apartment. He hurried into the 'fresher and grinned devilishly at the reflection in the mirror.

No, this wouldn't take long at all.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

.

They met in Tionne's office. The artifact sat prominently on her desk, a seemingly innocent and beautiful piece of artwork that had created so many problems. Luke eyed it as he entered the room and then joined the others in sitting around Tionne's desk.

Mara was the first one to acknowledge his presence, and she stifled a giggle upon seeing his face. Mirax turned around and laughed audibly, while Corran gave a scandalized gasp.

Tionne merely gazed at him with widened eyes as Luke settled into his chair. "I see you've been busy, Master Skywalker."

"Well, you know. A Jedi's work is never done."

Corran was still staring at him open-mouthed. "What did you _do_?"

"What? You don't like it?" Luke smoothed a hand over his clean-shaven face. "I thought it would be a nice change."

"But…but…we're about to switch back bodies!" Corran was straining to keep his voice from rising above a loud hiss. "That's just mean!"

"You should know better than to tease my wife."

"Excuse me?" Mara leaned around Luke to get a better view of Corran. "You did _what?_"

Corran opened his mouth a few times, but nothing came out. Luke winked at him. "Have you learned your lesson, Jedi Horn?"

Corran rolled his eyes and slumped into his chair. "I look horrible clean-shaven and it takes me so long to grow a goatee. I can't believe you did that! Can you believe he did that?" He turned his attention to Mirax.

She shrugged. "I dunno. I kind of like it."

Corran paused. "Wait, you do?"

"Ahem, if I could please have your attention?" Poor Tionne sounded like she was addressing a class full of younglings. Luke didn't blame her. Perhaps his behavior was childish.

But Corran's look of indignation was totally worth it.

"I'm sorry, Tionne," Luke said. "Please, go ahead."

Tionne indicated the artifact. "The ritual is prepared."

Mara nodded and leaned forward. "Yes. What does it entail?"

"It appears to be very straightforward. Lorran and Cuke will need to concentrate on their original wish that made them switch bodies, then at the exact same moment, when I tell you to, think the opposite thought."

"That sounds easy enough," Corran said.

"Yes. Oh, and to complete the transfer you need to kiss your soulmate. Now, does anyone have any questions?"

For a moment, nobody moved. Then four hands shot into the air.

Tionne sighed and glanced to the four of them as if she was determining whose question would be the easiest to answer.

She chose Mirax.

"So, that means I kiss Cuke, right?"

"Yes, Mirax."

"Cool." Satisfied by the answer, Mirax leaned back in the chair and nibbled a puff pie.

Luke was the next person to raise his hand. "Yes, Lorran?"

He glanced to his wife, whose jaw was set defiantly. He knew that look. This wasn't good. "Are you certain that a kiss is absolutely necessary?"

Tionne nodded sadly. "Unfortunately, it is. It is necessary to prove that you truly desire to transfer souls back to the original body."

"This is ridiculous." Mara shook her head furiously. "What in the worlds does kissing have to do with dark side soul transfer techniques? Aren't you all familiar with Palpatine? Does kissing your soulmate sound like anything he would undergo?" She shuddered at the thought.

"This isn't a dark side technique, Mara. Palpatine compiled a galaxy's worth of data on soul transference. The technique he ultimately settled on _was _steeped in the dark side, but this ritual is not. This ritual is very old and originated in a now-extinct Force-using sect."

"And concludes with a kiss?"

"Yes."

"What if the people involved don't _have_ a soulmate?"

"There are other actions that can reverse the transfer. In your case, a kiss is what is necessary."

Mara chewed on her bottom lip. "Are you absolutely sure?"

Luke spoke up before Mara could answer. "Tionne, if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to Mara privately for a few minutes."

"Of course." Tionne collected her notes and the artifact. "Cuke, Mirax, and I will go upstairs and prepare for the ritual. Meet us on the roof." With a nod, Tionne and the others left.

Corran gave Luke a sympathetic smile as he left the room, then cringed. "I can't believe you shaved my goatee," he muttered under his breath.

When they were gone, Luke turned to Mara, a serious expression on his face. "Okay. Let's have it."

Mara looked away. "It's nothing."

He reached over to turn her chin back to face him. "Mara."

She sighed and removed his hand. "Okay." She picked at her nails for a moment. "Okay. It's just…the idea of kissing you, looking like that…"

"What?" Luke prompted her.

"I can't do it."

Luke closed his eyes, trying to understand where she was coming from but feeling his patience waning. "I know it's weird, but it's _one_ kiss. And once it's over, I'll be back in my proper body and we can put this whole situation behind us for good."

"I know! I know, Luke. It shouldn't bother me so much, but it does."

"Just close your eyes, and pretend it's me."

"But it's not!"

"Mara—"

"No, listen to me! Imagine this had happened with me and Leia. How would you feel if you had to kiss your sister?" She paused. "Wait, that's probably not the best example."

Luke groaned. "Look, I understand that it's difficult, and if I were in your position I'd probably feel the same way. But this is the only way to switch back. You just have to close your eyes and pucker up."

Now Mara was the one to groan. "You're awful."

"And you love it." Sighing, he tentatively reached out to intertwine his fingers with hers. Surprisingly, she didn't pull way. "Please, Mara. This is our only chance."

"I know." She squeezed his hand, then pushed herself up from her chair, a determined look in her face. "Okay. Let's do this."

.

.

.

Everything was set up when Luke and Mara arrived on the roof. They sat down cross-legged on the other side of the artifact, mirroring Corran and Mirax. Tionne stood in the middle, next to the artifact.

"Are you ready?" she asked, looking to each of them in turn.

They all nodded, anxious to get this over with. Luke was especially anxious to get back into his own body and be with his wife again.

And to talk about the issue that got him into this situation in the first place. He was surprised that Mara hadn't broached the subject herself. Knowing her, she was waiting for the right time to ambush him. He smiled at the thought.

"Okay." Tionne leaned down, did something to the artifact. It started to glow and emitted a low humming noise. "Now, clasp hands and close your eyes."

Luke did so, feeling Mara flinch at the contact, but she did not let go. He could sense Corran and Mirax doing the same.

"Now, Lorran and Cuke, you need to think back on what you wished for. Concentrate on that one specific image, and picture it clearly in your minds."

Luke did so, thinking of how much he loved Mara. Remembering returning from Byss and feeling so grateful that he had a wife to come home to. Concentrating on how lonely he felt after Mara had left the Academy, and how happy he felt when they found each other again. She was his wife, and he loved her more than anything.

But after returning from Byss, holding her in his arms, there'd been one fleeting moment where he wished things were different. Everything was perfect…except their family still contained only two members.

And in that moment he'd envied Corran Horn and desired what he had—a child on the way. He focused on that thought, just as Tionne instructed.

"Okay, now I want you to think the opposite thought, and concentrate on why you want to transfer back to your proper bodies."

Luke allowed his thoughts to flow back to what he loved about Mara, how content he was in their marriage, how happy she made him. He could not imagine living without her, and he desperately wanted to hold her in his arms again, to kiss her, to show how much he loved her.

"Hold on to those thoughts…and on the count of three, I need you to lean forward and kiss your wives. One."

Luke squeezed Mara's hands, opening his Force presence to hers, reminding her that although he looked differently, he was still _Luke_, the man who loved her.

"Two."

Mara reached back to him, but she still felt apprehensive. He could sense that she did not want to kiss him, that doing so was repulsive to her, but she would still do it to make things better.

He came to a decision. Some people might have called him reckless, and he probably was. But it was the only way to make things easy for her.

He reached into the Force, and stretched out to Mara's mind. She accepted and welcomed his presence. Then, once he was there, he pushed further into her mind and projected his proper image.

She gasped slightly, and Luke could tell that she had opened her eyes, even though his remained closed.

"Three."

There was no hesitation; Mara leaned forward and kissed Luke squarely on the mouth. His hands instinctively came up to thread into her hair, and he pressed himself firmly against her as her hands snaked around his neck.

Even three days without her kiss was far too long, and it was like taking a fresh breath of oxygen after suffocating in the vacuum of space.

And then, suddenly, the world turned black. He felt himself being sucked into an empty place in the Force, and then he was _thrown_ back into his proper body.

The body that, seconds before, had been kissing Mirax.

He pulled away immediately, removing his arms from her pregnant belly. She blinked at him a few times, biting her lip. "Welcome back."

He smiled awkwardly, extending a hand. "Um, hi. Thank you."

She accepted his grasp. "No, thank _you._"

"BLEH!" Luke's attention was stolen away by a loud retching noise, paces away. Mara was standing, alternately scrubbing her tongue with her hands and spitting on the ground.

Corran met Luke's gaze and cringed. With wordless agreement, they switched places, allowing Corran to kiss Mirax and Luke to comfort his disgusted wife.

She allowed him to pull her into a hug, but still sounded like she was going to be sick.

In the middle of the chaos, Tionne was holding the relic in her hand, examining it in triumph. "Another crisis averted." Then she noticed Mara glaring at her. The historian shrugged innocently. "I'm sorry. Did I forget to mention that the switch would be instantaneous?"

"Yes," Mara growled, "you did."

"Oh." Tionne giggled. "Oops."


	12. Chapter 12

**So here we are, the end of this silly little crack!fic. Thank you all for reading and indulging my crazy imagination. This has been a great way for me to clear my head before jumping into the serious angstfest that will be my next fic. **

**I'm not done in this timeline. Once I finish my current fics, I'll be starting on a sequel to I, Mara Jade.**

**So anyway, thank you all for reading!**

* * *

><p><span>CHAPTER 12<span>

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The rest of the morning was absolutely glorious. With a newfound appreciation for his life, Luke spent his time off doing his favorite things—sparring with Mara, taking his X-wing for a joyride, and eating an inordinate amount of food.

At lunchtime, he and Mara returned to their apartment for a quiet meal by themselves. Luke prepared the food while Mara prepared the next day's schedule.

They sat down at the table and ate in pleasant silence. The meal was delicious, and Luke savored the taste of his beloved blue milk. When they were finished eating, Mara reached over and took his hand.

By the look on her face, the moment he'd been avoiding had arrived.

She cocked a brow. "So, Skywalker, is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Luke grimaced to himself, but nodded with strong resolve. This crazy situation had clarified some things that were very important to him. "Yes. We need to talk."

He took her hand and led her to the couch, leaving the dirty dishes for later. They settled next to each other, Luke refusing to relinquish her hand.

Mara stared at him expectantly. "I take it that you determined just why you wanted to switch bodies with Corran?"

Luke nodded. "Yes. I wanted something he has that I don't."

"Which is?"

Luke took a deep breath. "I wanted—I want—a baby."

He didn't see her reaction; he was busy examining the pattern on their couch. A year ago, when he and Mara had been married, they decided to table the issue of children for a few more years. Mara was more than ready to be a wife, but she still felt apprehensive about being a mother. Luke didn't want to pressure her. He had horrible memories of being without her for the year after she left the Jedi Academy. Even though they'd discussed her reasons for leaving and they had overcome all the issues standing in the way of them being a couple, he still sometimes worried that she would be gone when he woke in the morning. That his life was too good to be true.

But apparently Luke was more than ready, and Mara deserved to know. And if she still wasn't ready, Luke was willing to wait as long as she needed. He loved her and needed her in his life more than anything.

Mara did not seem at all surprised by his revelation. "I figured as much."

Luke's eyes widened as he turned to look at her again. "Wait a minute—you knew?"

"I had my suspicions."

"Did everyone know about this but me?"

"Well, you know how you are. For being a Jedi Master, you are still very easy to read. Not to mention predictable."

"Oh." Luke paused for a moment, wondering what else the rest of the Academy knew about, but decided it didn't matter. "Why didn't you say anything?" he asked instead.

"I wanted to wait until you figured it out for yourself. Of course I didn't realize it would take transferring souls with Corran Horn for that to happen."

"You know us. We can never do things the easy way."

Mara chuckled. "Isn't that the truth." She rubbed her fingers over Luke's hand and smiled gently at him. "Tell me."

"Okay. It happened the night I came back from Byss. I was so happy and content, having you in my arms again, and I thought that my life was perfect.

"But then I remembered flying home with Corran, and hearing him talk about Mirax and how excited he was about being a father. I was happy for him, of course, but I was also envious. And at that moment I thought that the only thing that could make my life more perfect would be if I had a child of my own."

"And the Force translated that as you wanted to be Corran."

Luke shrugged. "I guess so. Trust me, if I'd known that then I would never have thought such a thing."

Mara laughed and patted his arm. "I believe you."

Luke was heartened that Mara didn't seem bothered by his desire for children, but was still worried to hear her thoughts. What if she wasn't ready? "What do you think about all this?"

Mara remained quiet for a while, chewing her lip in thought. Then she abruptly nodded, having come to a decision. "Okay. I'll go talk to Cilghal tomorrow."

Luke stared blankly at her. His heart threatened to soar but he clamped down on his emotions, not wanting to get his hopes up… "Really? Are you serious?"

She shrugged. "Why not? It's a little sooner than expected, but then again, when have we ever done anything according to plan?"

Luke grinned and couldn't resist pulling her into a huge hug. "Oh I'm so happy, Mara. You have no idea."

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea," Mara teased, grinning back at him. "I just wish it hadn't taken you wearing Corran's body for us to take this next step."

Luke shuddered. "Don't remind me. I think I'm going to take a shower and scrub away Corran's essence."

"Okay." Mara smiled at him and trailed a finger down his arm. "Don't take too long."

"I won't." Luke kissed her and entered the 'fresher, shutting the door behind him and looking forward to a nice, calming shower. It was much needed after the events of the past few days.

As he settled into the shower, the warm water running over his body, he didn't miss the distinctive sound of the 'fresher door hissing opening behind him. He grinned in anticipation.

.

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After a nice, long afternoon nap, Luke and Mara went to the training rooms to work on some new ideas for combat classes. On their way there they passed Corran and Mirax, who were working out in the Academy's makeshift gymnasium. Luke and Mara glanced at each other and shared a mischievous grin.

They stepped inside the room as one. Corran looked up and smiled. "Hey guys, what's going on?"

"Oh, nothing much." Luke tilted his head at Corran. "How are _you_?"

Corran looked confused. "I'm fine, why?"

"Corran Horn." Mara stepped forward, a hard look on her face. "I have a bone to pick with you."

"Huh?"

Mara shook her head in disbelief. "You really are something. I guess you thought it would be fine and dandy to take my husband's body out for a joyride, huh?"

Corran's eyes and mouth opened slightly, but he managed to compose himself and began to protest. "What are you talking about? I didn't do anything!"

"Don't lie. We found that not-so-little love bite on Luke's thigh! How could you? I trusted you more than that!"

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Corran retorted indignantly. "Mirax—"

"Oh, don't you dare try to put this on her. She's pregnant and she can't help her crazy hormones. And I don't blame her one bit for finding Luke irresistible. _You_, on the other hand, were the one responsible for my husband's body and _you_ should have had more control."

"Oh please, the only reason you and Luke didn't do anything is because you can't think of me like that. I'm sure he tried."

"You better watch it, Horn!"

"Now you're just jealous that you didn't get to sample something new, but it's not my fault you wouldn't take advantage of the situation!"

Mara growled low in her throat and ignited her lightsaber. The green blade cast a menacing shadow on her face. "That's it. You're dead."

She began advancing on Corran and the other man stepped back from the equipment, a fearful expression on his face. "Mara, come on, it was just a joke! Luke, tell her to stop!"

"Oh Corran, don't you remember? Mara's right about everything. And plus, I made her promise me that she'd kill you."

Mara's eyes flashed in anger, and Corran turned and ran.

Luke grinned as he watched his wife chase Corran around the gym, knowing that she wouldn't really do anything to cause him harm. Well, no permanent damage, at least.

He glanced to his left, sensing Mirax staring at him. He nearly cringed in embarrassment, knowing what she had done to and with his body, but managed to offer her a warm smile that she didn't return. Instead she sidled up to him, her eyes slowly traveling up and down his body.

Luke began to worry. Did Mirax now feel awkward about the things she and Corran had done? Even though he was plenty embarrassed Luke didn't want her to feel guilty or upset, especially not in her current condition. And they were friends, they could get over this, right?

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Mirax? Are you all right?"

Her eyes finally moved up to his and it was then that she returned his smile—and it was a wicked, devilish smile that caused him to shudder and take a step back.

"I'm fine. I'm just thinking…" She trailed off, her voice low and sultry. Stepping forward she gripped his bicep, running her fingers over it in intricate patterns. She met his gaze again and wiggled her eyebrows. "Now I know why Mara calls you _Master_."

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FIN


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